The Portrait
by RelenaS
Summary: HPLL- Luna Lovegood may be a nut for all we know, however Harry is starting to feel comfort from her nuttyness, or maybe its just what he needs.
1. Like Wise

The Portrait  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. JK does.  
  
Chapter One: Like Wise  
  
Luna was sitting, alone, again, not caring, by the side of the lake talking to the waters surface.  
  
"I have always wondered." She told it, "Why are you so big?"  
  
Everyone in her year was on off period and stayed a safe distance from her.  
  
Luna 'Loony' Lovegood, was well known as a nut. She always put her wand in the most obscure places, like today, it was holding her wavy mess of hair in a bun.  
  
She kept smiling at the surface, no one did understand.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Harry was dreading the outcome of his OWLS, having been distracted during his astronomy OWL Walked out of his History exam, and knowingly failed his Divination OWL, what was to be expected?  
  
He looked at the envelope on the table at dinner, and kept sighing.  
  
"Come on Harry, Open, I want to compare results!" Hermione said eagerly. Harry preceded to sigh yet again.  
  
"Its not cursed Harry, now come on you saw my Results!!" Ron encouraged.  
  
Harry just starred at it, not making any move to open it.  
  
"I don't think it's cursed, though it could be, anything's possible." Luna said behind him.  
  
"Lovegood?" Ron said shocked.  
  
"Hello Ron." She smiled. "I want to see your results as well, Harry." She took the envelope up in her hands.  
  
He sighed and took the envelope back.  
  
Then put it in his bag. "I'll read it later." He said.  
  
Hermione looked appalled, "but you will tell us wont you?"  
  
"Of course, just I don't want to know now."  
  
Ron took his cue from Hermione and didn't press it, though Harry could tell he desperately wanted to.  
  
Luna shrugged, took a seat, and began eating.  
  
The local part of the table looked at her.  
  
"Luna," Ginny said softly, "This isn't your table."  
  
"I know." She responded as she ate a spoonful of pudding.  
  
They kept staring.  
  
Except for Harry, who had taken Luna's lead, and started eating himself.  
  
Gradually, people began to ignore her again, she wasn't leaving, and chances were, she didn't really care. They all really didn't care either.  
  
Harry was personally glad that she had done what she had. It ironically enough, took the pressure that was on him, and put it on her.  
  
"Thanks" he whispered to her quickly, between a bit of steak and a roll.  
  
"Likewise." She answered, quietly, but with her mouth full of stuffing.  
  
Harry smiled, and started to eat again.  
  
It was just like her to understand that while she had helped him, he had, not unknowingly, helped her.  
  
Over the months, Luna and Harry had become good friends, though they hardly ever saw the other. It was more of a mutual understanding if anything, but both Harry and Luna saw it clearly as friendship.  
  
Once done, Luna left with a loud "BYE!" and walked quietly out of the hall. Harry was once again in a position where Hermione and Ron could start asking questions, any questions.  
  
"I'm off to read the letter, tell you when I'm done." And he too stood up and left into the hall.  
  
Luna was in front of the hourglasses singing to her self "The horizon has been defeated, by the pirates of the new age, and Alien casinos."  
  
Harry stifled a laugh, "what was that?" he asked with a smile on his face.  
  
"A muggle song that I like the first lines to." She responded thoughtfully.  
  
Harry nodded and examined the hour glasses as well. They were tied, all the houses were tied.  
  
"Odd."  
  
"Not really." Luna said evenly, "Its only been two months, they even out during times of the year naturally."  
  
"I've never noticed."  
  
"Well, I find it interesting. They never equaled last year."  
  
Harry smiled, of course they wouldn't have, Gryffindor hardly ever gained any points with Professor Umbridge about. "Showed how unstable the school was then"  
  
"Yes." And she regarded them again, as if to find something she had quite clearly missed earlier, as if something must have changed while she was starring at them. "You not going to read that letter are you?"  
  
"Well, I have to don't I?" Harry said not al all pleased.  
  
"It isn't nearly as bad as your imagining it." She said simply.  
  
"How would you know?" Harry asked curious.  
  
"They never are." She smiled and left.  
  
Harry couldn't possibly imagine what took him so long to realize there was a person attending their school named Luna Lovegood.  
  
She who quite openly wore a lions head, nearly as big as her torso, on her head during a quidditch match, when she was known to be in Ravenclaw.  
  
She who read the Quibbler, upside down if needed.  
  
It just baffled Harry.  
  
And it made him wonder.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Luna walked down to a certain poster, one that held a House-Elf Princess.  
  
"Quibbler." She smiled.  
  
And she entered.  
  
Sitting on the large brown shaggy chair, she opened up this months version of the Quibbler.  
  
First page headline stating clearly 'Help WANTED, House-Elf strike."  
  
Though it was sideways. On page four there was a puzzle that could only bee seen if sideways.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Harry walked around the castle for sometime, dreading his return to Gryffindor Tower, which could only happen once his letter was read.  
  
After all it was decently passed dinner time, and he knew Hermione and Ron had returned to their common room, and were waiting for the news from Harry.  
  
He was deep in his thoughts when a portrait opened , hitting Harry hard in the face.  
  
"Harry?" a worried voice called, "How many fingers can you count."  
  
He opened eyes to see one of Luna's hands waving so fast that he couldn't really could the fingers.  
  
"Five." He answered, trying to get up. She pushed his back down.  
  
"There are four," she chided, "You can't get up until you see four." She waved them again.  
  
Harry blinked and shut his eyes then looked again, "Five," he said again.  
  
She shook her head and touched his, looking for fever. "Not a temperature, no bumps, lets try counting together." She showed him her hand, not clenched in any way, and began to count, "One." She touched her pointer finger.  
  
"One," Harry repeated.  
  
"Two," she touched her pinky.  
  
"Two," Harry agreed.  
  
"Three," her middle.  
  
"Three," Harry felt like an echo.  
  
"Four," she said triumphantly on her ring finger and put her hand down.  
  
"Five." Harry said again, "What about your thumb?"  
  
"My thumb?" she said oddly and regarded it carefully, "What about my thumb?"  
  
"You didn't count your thumb, why?"  
  
"Well, its not a finger, is it? It's a thumb." She said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
Harry sighed and made a mental note that Luna Lovegood had only Eight fingers total. Harry found her hand and took it in his own and opened it up to face him.  
  
"Reading my fortune?" she asked, curious.  
  
"Four," he smiled at her. "Four fingers," and he tugged at each.  
  
"Good," and she stood offering him her hand up.  
  
Once he was up, the force of her helping him had brought him really close to her. "Thank you." He smiled, for the second time that day.  
  
She looked up at him, smiled and kissed him, quickly, like a peck on the lips.  
  
"Likewise." And she walked off as if nothing had ever happened.  
  
Harry shook his head, baffled.  
  
That was Luna.  
  
Picking up his bag, the envelope fell out. Picking it up, his eyes saw the portrait that had hit him only moments ago. On it was the strangest picture, a house-elf dressed as a princess.  
  
He shrugged and looked at the envelope. Luna's face shone through his mind.  
  
Sighing, he opted to open it.  
  
Glancing over he saw the Outstanding! He was expecting for DADA and an A from COMC. The E he was hoping for in Transfiguration gave him a great relief, along with the E in Charms He saw he got a P in Divination, like he expecting, as well as in Astronomy. Then looking, he noted that the History test, of which he was quite sure he had flunked, he had received an E, but what really threw him was his potions grade. He got an Outstanding.  
  
Well, Luna was right, it looked good, he got the standard needed for his five classes for NEWTS and he was overjoyed.  
  
Look out Aurors! Harry said mentally, HERE I COME! He smiled, and practically ran back to the common room.  
  
However, before reciting the password to the Fat lady, he unconsciously touches his figured to his lips.  
  
They still tingled.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN:  
  
Ok ok I know very well this is set in sixth year, and I know my grading was more then likely inaccurate. Forgive me ok? It's a minor detail!!!  
  
I hope you all enjoyed Order of the Phoenix!  
  
Review!  
  
Relena 


	2. When All That is Normal, Becomes Strange

Chapter Two: When All That is Normal, Becomes Strange  
  
Hermione and Ron looked up from their game of chess as Harry walked into the common Room.  
  
"I did it!" he announced, a silly grin on his face, "I passed the classes I needed to." He brandished the parchment before handing it to Hermione to verify.  
  
"Well done Harry," She smiled up at her friend, "See? You had nothing to worry about."  
  
"Yeah." Ron agreed. "Guess now all we have to do is pass our NEWTS, and we'll be able to begin training as Aurors. "  
  
Harry's grin grew bigger. "Yep, I can't wait those NWETS wont know what hit them!"  
  
"Then you'll be wanting this." Hermione decided, pulling out a colorful piece of parchment, "Your study schedule."  
  
Harry glanced it over, it wasn't so bad, he guessed, "Thanks Hermione." He walked over and hugged her before retreating to his room.  
  
His friends exchanged glances, "Is it me," Hermione started.  
  
"Or does it seem like Harry is a bit to overjoyed about this? Nah, it isn't you." Ron assured her, looking back up the stair case.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sitting on his bed, Harry tried to make shapes out of the wrinkles his canopy made, thinking.  
  
Occasionally, he fingers went back up to his lips.  
  
It had been a passing gesture, but for some reason, he mind kept floating back to it.  
  
Why had she kissed him?  
  
"Why wouldn't she?" he muttered. He was thinking about Luna Looney Lovegood.  
  
But perhaps what was baffling him the most, was his views on the matter.  
  
He kept hoping that she'd do it again, maybe for longer next time.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next day Harry was sitting in his Potions class, which had shrunk considerably.  
  
"Well, I'm surprised there are so many of you here today." Snape had drawled upon entering.  
  
So many? There was only one class for Harry's year, and beyond him Ron and Hermione, there were two Slytherins, Blasie and Malfoy, two Ravenclaws, Padama and someone Harry had never met.  
  
And there was no yellow in the room at all.  
  
"This is your only year between OWLs and NEWTs. I do hope some of you realize that it takes two OWL like years to get you ready for NEWTS." Snape lectured. "So we shall start, This year we will not be learning any new potions in class."  
  
Everyone looked more attentive.  
  
"We will, however, be learning how to modify all the potions you do know into new ones." He smirked at the class's well executed moan cover. "Open to page six, we begin with the sleeping drought."  
  
Harry felt his mind wandering. He tried to force it back onto the change of the Sleeping drought to the Dream reading elixir, but it wouldn't stick.  
  
"Mr. Potter!" Snape snapped, "Ten points from Gryffindor, do try to pay attention as you chose to be here!"  
  
Harry nodded, and picked up his quill to write down the notes.  
  
Occasionally it strayed, and he started making lucid 'L's' all around his work.  
  
"May I ask, what this is?" Snape hissed, taking Harry's parchment away and brandishing it to the class. "Doodling?" he asked innocent, Harry saw Ron and Hermione look at his worried. "DOODLING?!" Snape yelled when Harry didn't respond the first time.  
  
"Sorry sir, I, my mind was wandering, I was trying to make it focus." He said softly, scared.  
  
"Thirty points," Snape decided, "And get your notes from someone else, 'incindo'." The parchment crumbled into ashes, and were sprinkled in front of Harry, "Keep you mind on task better Potter." He ordered and went back to lecturing.  
  
*~*~**~*~*~*~*  
  
That wasn't the only class Harry found he couldn't keep mind to task.  
  
All of his classes that day were the same, and he had doodled over all of his notes.  
  
Hermione, at Dinner, looked over them when Harry had asked for help. She noted the constant and only use of 'L' in all of the drawings.  
  
"Harry," she sighed, "I hate doing this, but I'm sending you to Lavender. She knows more about this kind of thing." She handed his notes back to him as he looked at her strangely.  
  
"What kind of thing? Its only concentration."  
  
"No, Harry," She said sternly, "Its not that, Lavender can help you." She physically pushed him to where Lavender and Pavarti were sitting, and he left.  
  
"What's wrong with Harry, Hermione?" Ron asked.  
  
"It seems we now know why he was acting odd last night." She said simply, "It appears our shy hero, has fallen for someone without realizing."  
  
"Who?" Luna asked, sitting beside Hermione.  
  
Hermione looked up for a second, and, after registering who had spoken, she responded simply, "no clue.."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~**~*~  
  
"Harry!" Lavender greeted, hugging him, "Its nice to see you, so have you finally realized your over the top feelings for me?" she joked.  
  
Harry smiled, "No, but Hermione said that I had to talk to you."  
  
Lavender frowned. She and Hermione were friendly, but neither of then sent friends to the other. They had a large battle field were their opinions crossed. Unless it was for certain things.  
  
"Sit then." She gestured beside her seat, "And tell Lavender all about it."  
  
"I haven't been able to think on my studies at all today, and I've been doodling, something I never do." He pulled out his papers and showed then to her, "I need help, I have to concentrate or I'm doomed."  
  
"Hm." Lavender looked at each page, "It appears to me Harry, that you have a crush."  
  
Harry did a double take, "What?!" he asked shocked.  
  
"Look here," She pointed to his transfiguration paper, page two, bottom left corner. "You can see you weren't thinking at all here HP and L?" She questioned.  
  
"what?" Harry took the paper, and indeed there was a small doodle that had HP with a vine wrapping it up with a 'L'. "Gods," he set the papers down.  
  
"Sure you don't have a thing for me?" Lavender pocked fun.  
  
"Positive." Harry grumbled back.  
  
"Then, spill who?" Pavarti asked, tired of listening.  
  
"Harry, if you tell it will not distract you as much." Lavender cajoled him. "and if you tell the person you like, you'll be free to study." She explained further.  
  
"That's the problem." Harry moaned, "I don't know 'who'. I didn't even know there was a 'what'!"  
  
"Then lets look at all the girls in the room then." Lavender summoned a parchment and tapped her wand at it. Harry watched as all the girls, regardless of house, whose names began with L passed over the sheet.  
  
"That's it." Lavender smiled, looking at the end of the table. "I know who you like," she said smiling to Harry.  
  
"who?" he asked.  
  
"On everyone but on girl your eyes never changed," she paused for effect, "But on Luna, they grew very soft." She smiled proudly, "You, Harry Potter, are attracted to Luna Lovegood." She announced to him.  
  
Harry's eyes were wide. "Uh, thanks." He picked up his papers and went back to Hermione and Ron.  
  
"Hello Harry." Luna Smiled, "What did you get on your owls?"  
  
"All the classes I needed," he assured her.  
  
"As you should." She nodded and went back to eating.  
  
Harry couldn't help catch glances at her throughout the rest of dinner.  
  
Did he really fancy her?  
  
If so, did she like him back?  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
AN: Sorry about it being short with such a long break between updates.  
  
I'm trying to get better at that.  
  
Anyway I hope you all are enjoying my story, I loved all the reviews! This story has my record beat. 25 posts per chapter is the largest I had for any of my stories.  
  
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!  
  
Review!  
  
Relena 


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